Based on analysis of over 14,000 eating occasions, a new Hartman report examines the who, what, where, how and why of eating occasions from early morning to late at night – and how the pandemic has shifted such behaviors.

The pandemic has shifted what seems like countless aspects of life for consumers, ranging from work to food habits to socializing and shopping. Within all these changes, ever wonder how (and why) consumers have shifted how they eat (and cook and procure) foods and beverages throughout the day?

A new report Eating Occasions Dashboards 2021 prepared by Hartman Retainer Services answers questions like these and explores the context, needs and behaviors associated with eating and drinking occasions with focused analysis of 8 dayparts that extend from early morning to late at night.

The report is derived from analysis of The Hartman Group’s proprietary 2021 Eating Occasions Compass Database and highlights several key shifts in consumers’ day-to-day eating routines and behaviors from 2019 and 2020, and how these differ among key demographics and across the day.

In addition to uncovering broad shifts in eating and drinking over the past three years, the Eating Occasions Dashboards 2021 report includes a deep analysis of the 8 eating occasions by daypart, with one set of dashboards (3 slides each) per daypart (Early-Morning Snack, Breakfast, Morning Snack, Lunch, Afternoon Snack, Dinner, After-Dinner Snack, and Late-Night Meal/Snack).

Each set of the daypart dashboards includes data that examines: 

• The size of each occasion, where the occasion took place, who was present, social connections, top foods/beverages consumed, channel sourcing, emotional context, demographics and need states.

All of the data included in each set of the 8 daypart dashboards is indexed against total food and beverage occasions

Sample insights from the Early Morning Snacking occasion dashboards: While a majority of early morning snack occasions take place at-home (75%), these occasions are more likely to take place at work/school or other away-from-home locations when compared to total food and beverage occasions. The demographic skews are towards Millennials, parents, urbanites, and full-time employees, groups which all over-index on the occasion. Quick and easy is the top need state, specifically, having something that doesn’t require any preparation, followed by fresh and less processed foods/beverages, in which having something all/100% natural is most important. 

In addition to data points and insights, the Eating Occasions Dashboards 2021 report includes:

• Methodology and an overview of The Hartman Group’s Eating Occasions Compass
• Key observations: COVID-19’s initial impact on eating
• 2021 Eating Occasions (vs. 2020 and 2019) - contexts, characteristics and analysis of:
  • Participation in eating occasions across the day
  • At-home vs. away-from-home eating
  • The social context of eating
  • Restaurant sourced eating occasions
  • Cooking method and degree of preparation
  • The role of leftovers
  • Trading up for delicious flavor experiences
  • Seeking out unique flavors and functional benefits
  • Food and beverage sourcing
• Interpreting eating occasions dashboards
• 8 sets of eating occasion daypart dashboards (3 slides per daypart): Early-morning snack, breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, after-dinner snack, and late-night meal/snack
• Key takeaways and implications

More information on the Eating Occasions Dashboards 2021 report is available here.

Hartman Retainer Services is a customized subscription service that provides access to all of The Hartman Group’s non-proprietary reports and publications plus access to our analytics team for consultations. Through this partnership, we connect you to a deep well of data, insights and strategy.

More information about Hartman Group capabilities and services is available here.

If you’re looking for ways to unlock your growth potential, we’d love to help. To begin the conversation, please contact Shelley Balanko, Ph.D., Senior Vice President: shelley@hartman-group.com